This week: HARTFORD!
by wendellgee
Summary: October 2011 (after series three) The boys of MJN are in the United States for a few days. Arthur, Martin, and Douglas begin to bond in a way we haven't seen yet.
1. Chapter 1

"How much longer until we get to leave?" Arthur had his nose pressed up against the portacabin window and was looking at the quiet Fitton airfield. Arthur always got excited before a flight, but today, he was a little more wound up than usual. MJN had been chartered to fly a group of insurance executives to the "insurance capital of the world", Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States. Martin knew it was due to the fact that they were flying somewhere Arthur had never been, but he didn't know how to calm him down. Arthur was even starting to get on his nerves and that didn't happen often.

"They're not expected to be here for another two hours. What has gotten into you today?" Douglas snapped without looking over this newspaper. An overly excited Arthur could be hard for him to tolerate on a good day. Today was not a good day. In fact, today was a very bad day.

"I've never been to Connecticut before! I bet it's brilliant! Plus, the airport is in a town named Windsor Locks! Windsor Locks! I wonder if we'll see any locks! Do you suppose it was named after a locksmith named Windsor?"

Martin looked up from his paperwork. "Arthur, what's 'U'?" Arthur had been trying unsuccessfully to learn the phonetic alphabet on and off over the past several years. Needless to say, the spot check method of revision still wasn't working. In fact, it was so bad that both Carolyn and Douglas had given up on him. Martin knew how important it was to Arthur that he learn the alphabet that he would quiz him every once in a while. He couldn't remember the last time they had gone through it, so now was as good a time as any.

"U. Ummmm, this is easy. Umbrella!"

Martin shook his head. "Try again."

"Udder! Usher! Uppercase! Ugly! Upset!"

"It's something you wear, Arthur." Martin hinted.

"Shirt! Hat! Trousers! Pants! Hat! Socks!"

"It starts with U-N-I..."

"Unicycle! Universe! Unicorn!"

Douglas muttered something under his breath and ruffled the newspaper. After several years of trying to get past Helena's affair and rebuild their relationship, Douglas had finally decided his third marriage was going the way of the first two. He had received his decree absolute, the final step in his divorce, a few days ago. He had been in a terrible mood ever since and it was getting worse by the day. It was obvious to Martin that Arthur's usual joie de vivre was going to push Douglas over the edge. The last thing he wanted was for Douglas to snap at Arthur. "It's 'uniform'."

"Oh! Right-o, Skip! Uniform like what we're all wearing now." Arthur smiled. "That's an easy one."

Douglas grumbled again. Martin looked at Carolyn and then at Douglas. "I'm going to go out and grab some fresh air. Do either of you want anything while I'm out?" Douglas glared at Arthur, making sure Martin got the message that the only thing he wanted was Arthur as far away from him as possible.

Carolyn shook her car keys. "Martin, could you please run out to my car? I forgot my book." Martin took the keys and headed for the door.

"Can I come, Skip?"

"Sure! The more, the merrier." Martin held the door open for him, glad that Arthur didn't need to be told to come along. He stole a look at Douglas, who was buried in his newspaper again, and felt his stomach do a small flip. It had been doing it ever since the first meeting between the two men. Martin tried to convince himself that it was due to the cup of coffee Arthur had made him this morning rather than his crush on his First Officer.

"How do you spell 'Skip'?"

It took Martin a moment to figure it out. "Sierra, Kilo, India, Papa."

"Sierra, Kilo, India, Papa spells 'Skip,'" Arthur mumbled to himself. "'G-ERTI' is spelled Golf, Echo, Romeo, Tango, India." He looked at Martin, a huge smile on his face.

"That's very good. How do you spell your name?"

"A... A... A..."

"Remember when you watched that show about the dogs? There were three types of dogs and the first ones were called..."

"Alpha dogs! So, A is Alpha! A, R... G, E, R... Romeo. Alpha, Romeo. G, E, R, T... Tango. Alpha, Romeo, Tango. H... H..."

"Where do we sleep when we have to spend the night in a different city?"

"In beds?" Martin shook his head, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. This was actually turning out to be a lot of fun. He couldn't understand why Carolyn would give up on her son so easily. Arthur may not have been the smartest person, but he was capable of learning things. He just needed someone to be patient with him. Martin had noticed over the years that his patience regarding all things Arthur had gotten much better. Hopefully, today his patience would pay off and Arthur would finally learn the alphabet he'd struggled with for so long.

Just when Martin was about to give up, Arthur finally exclaimed, "Hotel! Alpha, Romeo, Tango, Hotel..." He could practically see the gears turning in Arthur's head as he put the pieces together. "Alpha, Romeo, Tango, Hotel, Uniform, Romeo?"

"Perfect!" Martin suddenly realised that he might have found the way to get through to Arthur. "I think it's easier for you to learn the alphabet by spelling words than it has been by plain memorisation. Spell 'Skip.'"

"Sierra, Kilo, India, Papa!"

"Spell your name again."

"Alpha, Romeo, Tango, Hotel, Uniform, Romeo!"

"Do you have a copy of the alphabet with you?" Arthur shook his head. "Well, I'm going to fix that. I'll write it down when we get back to the portacabin. That way you have something to look at when you get stuck."

"You would do really do that for me? Thanks, Skip!" Arthur paused for a moment. "Did you have a hard time learning it too?"

Martin thought about it carefully. He had struggled with a lot of different things, but this had actually come easily to him. He decided to fudge the truth a little bit. "I did, but I worked really hard on it and now I can recite it without even thinking. You can do anything you want to, Arthur. You just need to want it bad enough."

"Like you and flying?" Arthur's smile was so sunny, Martin couldn't get annoyed by the reminder that it had taken him several tries to get his CPL. Besides, Arthur wouldn't try to make him feel bad on purpose, unlike Douglas or Carolyn.

"Yes. Just like me and flying." They had arrived at Carolyn's car. Martin poked his head in and located the book easily. He was pretty sure she had read it before, but if she wanted her book, he would give her the book. He wondered if she sent them out to the car to buy some time. Hopefully, she was going to speak to Douglas about his bad mood. If anyone could get through to him, she could. She would have to - his bad mood was affecting all of them, except for Arthur. As usual, his cheerful disposition kept him insulated from most of the negative things in the world. Martin doubted that Arthur could remain unscathed if Douglas turned on him, and the thought frightened him. He made a silent promise to Arthur that he would protect him.

# # # #

They were on their third lap of the airfield when Arthur asked, "What's wrong with Douglas, Skip? He seems awfully grumpy."

"His divorce to Helena was finalised." Martin swallowed hard as he thought about what this divorce meant to Douglas. It was his third, and Martin couldn't understand why his relationships didn't last. It was obvious he had loved Helena very much, and he had even tried to forgive her for cheating on him. What would cause her to cheat on Douglas in the first place?

Martin wouldn't cheat on him. He wished he could find someone who would go to all the trouble of hunting down the original recipe to his favourite condiment. He wanted a relationship with someone like... well, not someone like Douglas. He wanted Douglas, but the odds of that happening were not in his favour. Based on the number of stewardesses he'd pulled in airports across the world and those three ex-wives, Douglas had to be straight. Very straight. Not that Douglas' sexual orientation mattered; Martin was still hiding in the closet and keeping up the illusion that he was rubbish with women. He wanted to stop being attracted to his First Officer, but spending so much time in the flight deck with him made it hard for Martin to focus on anything but Douglas.

After several more laps of the airfield, they sat on a bench outside the portacabin. Arthur hadn't spoken another word since he found out about the divorce. "Poor Douglas. He really liked her, too, didn't he?" Arthur's voice was barely a whisper and at that moment, Martin couldn't decide which of the three men was more upset about the divorce.

Martin wrapped his arm around Arthur's shoulder and pulled him in tight. "He loved Helena very much. More than his other ex-wives, I think. He tried very hard to make their marriage work, but she'd hurt him too badly and he had to leave her."

"Oh." Arthur fell against Martin, seeking comfort. "It wasn't nice of her to hurt him. Douglas is brilliant."

Martin couldn't argue with that. "Douglas is brilliant. He's a good man, and he deserved to be treated better."

"You like him a lot, don't you, Skip?"

"Why-why would you say that?" Martin suddenly felt panicked. What did Arthur know?

"He's your best friend!"

"He-he-he is?" The panic subsided. Arthur didn't have a clue about his true feelings for his co-pilot. However, Martin couldn't be sure that he and Douglas were actually friends, let alone best friends. Douglas always seemed to keep him at a distance.

"Isn't he?"

"I never thought about it."

"Oh. Why not? You spend all your time together in the flight deck talking and playing games. Mum and I play games and talk and she's my best friend!"

Martin nodded at Arthur's logic. Of course he and Douglas were best friends. Why wouldn't they be? Maybe it wasn't true, but Martin was content to play along. "I guess that does make us best friends."

"Brilliant!" Arthur jumped up and grabbed Martin's hand, pulling him up and off the bench. "Do you think it's time to go yet? I can't wait to get to Windsor Locks!"

Martin laughed at the young man's excitement over something as stupid as a town's name, and let himself be pulled into the portacabin. "Let's go find out. Maybe they're finally ready for us."


	2. Chapter 2

_***BING BONG***_

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I am Captain Martin Crieff and with me today is First Officer Douglas Richardson. Today, we are headed to Hartford, Connecticut. Our flight time is approximately 6 hours, 45 minutes and we expect to be flying at a speed of 500 miles per hour. Our Steward on today's flight is Arthur Shappey, who will be doing the safety briefing shortly. Thank you for flying MJN Air. Enjoy your flight."

"Nice speech, Sir," Douglas drawled in his usual fashion. Martin didn't want to admit how much he liked it when Douglas called him 'Sir'. He still felt ridiculous about insisting that Douglas call him that when they first started working together. He'd told Douglas several times since then that it wasn't necessary to say it any more, but Douglas persisted. It was almost like he knew the word went straight to Martin's groin, especially when it was partnered with Douglas' Sky God smirk... which was all the time.

"Thank you, Douglas." He looked at his co-pilot, studying the older man's profile for as long as he could get away with it. He could easily picture Douglas as he was in his thirties, even his forties, when he was the dashing Air England pilot, but he had to admit that he liked this more mature looking version of Douglas better.

They sat in silence for a long time before Douglas asked, "Martin, do you ever wonder what it would be like if you didn't spend your life in the pointy life of a plane?" He stopped. This was MARTIN. What was he thinking, asking such a stupid question? "Never mind. I forgot who I'm talking to."

Martin thought about his question carefully. "Well, obviously, I'd be a man with a van." He stared at Douglas' salt and pepper hair, wondering what it would feel like if he ran his fingers through it. He really had to stop this. Eventually, Douglas would catch on and things would get awkward. It was the last thing Martin wanted to happen because they spent so much time together.

"Touché. I suppose I could sit here and play what if, but it doesn't change the facts now, does it?" He was normally so good at masking his feelings, Martin was taken aback to realise that was hurt written upon his face.

"I'm sorry, Douglas, I really am." He stared at the control panel. "I'm here if you need to talk." He knew Douglas would never take him up on it, but he just wanted to be a part of Douglas' life outside of MJN, no matter how small.

#

"British actors whose first names start with a 'B'... Go!"

"OOOH! Benedict Cumberbatch!" Martin couldn't believe that he knew one right off the bat. Normally he struggled for hours while Douglas racked up the points.

"Brians Blessed and Bedford." Douglas' voice was smug.

"Brians Cowan and Cox." Martin replied just as smugly.

"Well played, Sir. Ben Kingsley."

"Bill Nighy."

"Hey, chaps! What are you playing?" Arthur had finally come around with their drinks and the cheese tray.

"British actors whose first names start with 'B'. Brendan Gleeson." Martin took a sip of his coffee. It was absolutely horrid. Arthur must be more distracted than usual. "Thank you, Arthur."

"Billie Piper!" A huge smile took over Arthur's face. It was the first game in a long time that he had an answer for.

"Ah, that would be a good one, Arthur, but Billie Piper is an actress."

"Are you sure, Douglas? Billy is a boy's name."

"Douglas." Martin shot Douglas a warning look. "Billie can also be a girl's name. I say that since 'actors' is used for both men and women, Arthur's point counts."

"Thanks, Skip!" The service bell dinged, causing Arthur to look back with a frown on his face. "They're drinking an awful lot and Mum's just restocked the drinks trolley. I don't think there will be anything left by the time we land!"

Douglas reached up and turned on the 'fasten seat belts' light. "I think a game of passenger derby is in order, then. Let us know when they get squirmy."

"BRILLIANT! I can't wait!" Arthur practically skipped out of the flight deck.

_***BING BONG***_

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is First Officer Douglas Richardson. Please do be aware that the Captain has turned on the 'fasten seat belt' sign. At this time, we'd like you to return to your seats and make sure that your seatbelt is securely fastened."

Martin smiled at Douglas, who returned it. "Five-three, in my favour."

"Ben Barnes. Double points for alliteration."

"No way! That's not fair! That would give you six points for Ben and the two Brians."

"It would, wouldn't it?" He hummed. "Even you would have to agree that the ability to name actors where both names begin with the same letter is pretty impressive and, therefore, worth extra points."

"Five-seven." Martin wasn't going to disagree. Douglas' smirk was back. He knew he was going to win. Martin was running out of names, but even if he wasn't, he'd still let Douglas win. It was worth it to see him happy.

"We should make a friendly wager. Ten points gets the squidgy cheese?"

"Actresses, too?"

"Not unless your name is Arthur Shappey."

"Damn." Martin sighed as he struggled to think of another name. "Ben Chaplin."

"Six-seven. Sir is making a comeback. Bernard Hill."

"Ben Cross and Burn Gorman."

"Burn? Really, Martin? You're making names up now?"

"He was on 'Torchwood'. It's a Doctor Who spin-off. You can Google it when we get off the plane. Eight-all."

"Bernard Fox. Bob Hope. Ten."

#

"And... they're off!" Arthur couldn't keep calm. Passenger derby was one of his favourite parts of long flights. "Straight out of the gate, it's Sherlock Holmes and the Jolly Green Giant! Jolly Green! Sherlock Holmes! Jolly Green takes the lead! Sherlock Holmes is making his move! OH NO! They've been cut off by Gordon Ramsey! Ramsey! Jolly Green! Jolly Green just tripped over Holmes! Holmes ahead by a row! Ramsey's closing in! Holmes shuts the door in Ramsey's face! Sherlock Holmes has won the race!" Arthur popped into the flight deck. "How'd you know Sherlock Holmes was going to win, Skip?"

"He looked like he'd deduce the quickest way to the loo." He shrugged, trying to hide the excitement he felt at besting Douglas.

"Wow, Skip! You finally won a game of passenger derby! Congrats!" Arthur clapped Martin on the back before turning to Douglas. "Sorry about the Giant, Douglas."

Douglas' mouth hung open, clearly shocked by Martin's win. Martin never won anything. "You're always accusing me of cheating, Sir. How'd you know Holmes would win?" He handed Martin five quid. A bet was a bet and Douglas Richardson never squelched on a bet. Martin let his fingers brush against Douglas' for as long as he could without drawing attention to himself. Douglas noticed that Martin held onto the note for longer than was necessary and he was pretty sure it wasn't an accident. He wondered what was going on in Martin's head.

"He has long legs, longer than the Giant's. Ramsey was the wild card, but I was more confident with Sherlock. One should never underestimate the speed at which a high functioning sociopath will head to the loo after a game of passenger derby."

"'Doctor Who' and 'Sherlock'? I didn't even think you owned a telly."

"I don't, but this year some of the students chipped in and bought a small one for the common area. Sometimes, I go downstairs and watch programmes with them. Amanda likes 'Sherlock' and Nick is a 'Doctor Who' fan. Nick actually likes the show so much he went to a convention in Cardiff!"

"Send him my condolences."

Martin couldn't help but look at Douglas out of the corner of his eye as the older man turned back to the control panel. He was kind of prickly, and not always as nice to Martin as he could be, but it didn't mean that Martin liked seeing him so heartbroken. Martin knew, deep down, that this was no longer a schoolboy crush. He was in love with Douglas and he'd do whatever it took to make him feel better. "Douglas, I-I-I want you to know I'm very sorry about the divorce."

"Martin, please stop apologising." Douglas sighed, his shoulders bowed. "Helena and I were over long before you ever caught me in my Captain's epaulets. We... we just didn't work out." He sounded tired. "I was feeling a bit better, but then I remembered that I need to start looking for a flat when we get back to Fitton. It's hard. I never thought I'd be single again. The third time was supposed to be the charm."

Martin reached out and touched Douglas on the arm. The contact sent a jolt of electricity through his body. "If you need to talk..."

Douglas shook him off. "I'm. Fine. Sir." A hurt look flickered over Martin's face so quickly, Douglas wasn't sure if it was a figment of his imagination. He hadn't meant to hurt the young man. He was just tired of being reminded of his failed marriage. "I'm sorry."

Martin cut him off before he could say anything else. "It's fine, Douglas. It's all fine." Douglas would have bet a month of his salary that it wasn't really fine. Instead of pushing on, he let it go. Martin was already upset; anything Douglas could say was just going to make Martin feel worse than he already did.


	3. Chapter 3

The three men were sitting in the hotel's restaurant, nursing their drinks while they waited for their food to arrive. "Mum got us a really nice room, didn't she?"

Douglas wasn't sure it qualified as 'really nice', but the hotel itself was indeed a step above their normal accommodations. "She did. It's just a shame it sleeps three." The room wasn't necessarily large enough to sleep three grown men comfortably, but it did have three beds in it. Douglas stared at the bottom of his water glass. He would kill for some Talisker right now, but he'd spent too many years getting sober and fighting to stay that way to throw it all away on yet another failed marriage.

Arthur had begun to tell them how brilliant it was that they all had beds, but that he didn't care because he'd rather sleep on the floor. "Q," Martin interrupted. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this again, but it would keep Arthur occupied for a bit. Douglas was in a much better mood than he had been earlier, but the way he was looking at his water made Martin realise that he was longing for something harder. Martin hoped that Douglas could stay strong. He didn't want to sit by and watch helplessly as Douglas self-destructed.

"Quebec."

"That's right, Arthur!"

"Don't lie, Skip. I didn't get it right." Arthur took a sip of his water and looked down at the table. He knew Martin had to be tired of helping him. Carolyn always got frustrated with him quickly when she was helping him with new stuff, and they'd been working on the alphabet all day. He didn't know how much time he had left until Martin grew angry and gave up on him.

"No, Arthur. You did get it right. Q is 'Quebec'. A?" Douglas set his glass down and ran his finger around the rim. The glass made a soft tone as he did so. His daughter used to be impressed by that. As if missing Helena wasn't enough, he had to deal with the fact that his daughter, his only child, was growing up and pulling away. He decided right then and there that he would never be in another relationship again. They were nothing but trouble.

He wasn't sure he was going to get over his third failed marriage any time soon. He was too old to have his heart broken like a love sick teenager, and he really hated living on his own. Once he and Helena decided that she would keep the house, he had thought about asking Martin to move in with him.

He didn't ask him then because he knew Martin would think it had to do with his financial situation and dismiss the offer out of hand. It couldn't be farther from the truth. Douglas actually enjoyed his Captain's company and it was surprisingly easy to spend time with Martin, despite how frustrating he could be. Maybe now that the divorce was over, he'd actually extend the offer to Martin and let the cards fall where they may.

"A?" Arthur looked at Martin, hoping for a hint. "A is for Arthur, so A is for Alpha!"

Douglas felt his jaw drop a little bit before he caught himself. "I."

"G, E, R, T, I... India!"

Martin extended his hand for a high five. Arthur missed, which led the three of them to laugh while Arthur tried it again. "Great job, Arthur!"

Douglas smiled. He was really enjoying watching the two men. There was something about the way Martin and Arthur interacted that made him a little bit jealous, but it could just be the divorce affecting him. "Spell 'Martin'."

"M..." Arthur was drawing a blank. "M... Uh... M..."

"Mike," Martin supplied.

"Mike, Alpha, Romeo, Tango, India... N..."

"What's next month?" Douglas decided to help out, too.

"November? Mike, Alpha, Romeo, Tango, India, November. Martin!" Both men were surprised that Arthur called Martin by his real name. It didn't happen often. As a matter of fact, Martin couldn't remember the last time Arthur called him by his real name. Not that he minded; it was nice to have something special between he and Arthur.

"Very nice, Arthur!" Douglas couldn't decide who he was more proud of at that moment: Martin for figuring out how to teach the young Steward, or Arthur for finally learning the alphabet.

"Thanks, Douglas! Skip, this is much better!" Martin smiled and blushed. He had known that Arthur would figure it out if the information was presented differently. In a lot of ways, Arthur was like the little brother he'd never had, and he was rightfully proud of himself for being the one who had - finally - taught Arthur something he wanted to learn for so long.

Out of all the crew that had served on G-ERTI over the years, even before Carolyn took ownership of her, Martin was definitely Arthur's favourite. There was something about the way the young Skipper treated him that made him feel good about himself, even when Carolyn or the passengers were being shouty.

Douglas glared at his water again. Not even the Douglas Richardson charm could convince water to turn into wine, or any other type of alcohol, for that matter. He poked at his salad and found he wasn't hungry any more. This divorce had been the worse one yet. He had loved her dearly, really loved her, and they had been happy. For a while. But then, she had cheated on him and nothing they tried could get him past her betrayal.

Now, he was in a terrible mood, in a terrible restaurant, in a terrible hotel, and had Martin and Arthur trying to distract him. It wasn't as good as drowning his tears in a bottle of Talisker, but they were doing the best they could.

They ate in silence, punctuated by Arthur's outbursts of random letters. He was getting most of them right, too. As they started dessert, he calmly stated, "Douglas. Delta, Oscar, Uniform, Golf, Lima, Alpha, Sierra." He laughed again, pleased with himself.

The smile that took over Douglas' face even reached his eyes. It was truly the best he had felt since he and Helena signed the final papers at his solicitor's. He looked across the table at the two men, wondering how he might have gotten so lucky. He really didn't think he could get through this trip without them. The two of them had been a welcome distraction over dinner. They had the capability to be extremely annoying, but they had also become good friends - family, even - along the way. He wasn't going to tell them that, though.

#

Douglas excused himself to pay the bill, leaving the other two men alone. "He looks sad, Skip, but only when he thinks you can't see him."

"He does?" Martin looked at Arthur, eyes wide. "How do you know that?"

"I see things. I see lots of things. I see how his eyes are empty when he smiles. I hear how his laugh is forced. I'm not as stupid as every one thinks I am." His voice was small. He was so innocent and happy more of the time, it was easy to forget that he had other emotions, too. "It's been going on for a long time. I just didn't know why."

Martin thought back. Douglas had been taking the divorce hard throughout the entire process. He knew that Douglas was trying to keep it from them, but there wasn't much you could hide from Arthur. "Did you learn that at Ipswich?" Martin played with his spoon, eager to change the topic.

"I did!" Arthur was pleased that Martin noticed. "Mum was afraid she wasted her money, but she didn't!"

"Arthur, you're brilliant."

"I am?"

"I don't think people tell you that enough." Arthur ducked his head, pleased that Martin thought he was brilliant. Martin had been right. People didn't tell him that enough. Most people couldn't wait to tell him how stupid he was.

It didn't surprise Martin that Douglas didn't want him to catch him looking sad. Martin wouldn't have even known half of what went on in Douglas' life if it hadn't slipped out bit by bit. He had thought that all their time in the pointy end would have meant something to Douglas, but all it did was drive home the fact that Douglas would never fully let him in to his life. Ever. He might as well give up on the fact that Douglas would ever be interested in a relationship with him, romantic or otherwise.

"Skip?"

"Yes, Arthur?"

"I see the way you look at Douglas, too, when you think he can't see you."

"You, you do? W-w-w-what do you see?"

"You watch him. A lot. It's like you're trying to learn from him, without letting him know you want to."

He did make a point to spend a lot of time watching Douglas when he'd hand control to his First Officer. Sometimes, he did it to watch and learn, but more often than not, he took advantage of Douglas' distraction to let his imagination run wild. He hadn't realised he was that obvious. "I guess I do."

"It's working, you know. You're a much better pilot than you were when Mum hired you."


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur and Douglas were both snoring softly, but Martin couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. Arthur's words kept running though his mind: "He looks sad, Skip, but only when he thinks you can't see him." He didn't know why it bothered him so much. Why did Douglas feel the need to put on an act with him? Why couldn't he just be truthful? Giving up on the idea of falling asleep any time soon, he rolled over onto his side and looked at Douglas. Even while sleeping the older man looked unhappy.

Douglas shifted and flopped his arm out like he was looking for someone. Martin realised it was probably force of habit. He was reaching out for Helena. He ended up grabbing one of his pillows and hugging it tight against his chest. He sighed happily and his face fell into a smile.

Martin wondered if Douglas would look for him in the middle of the night if he should roll away. Would he smile like that once Martin returned to him? Martin had been on a few dates, even had a few relationships, but nothing that ever led to sharing a bed with someone. He wondered how it felt to sleep in an empty bed when you were used to having someone beside you. He couldn't imagine it would be fun.

He was lonely, he was tired of being lonely, and he was really tired of being attracted to his co-pilot. It was leading him to make some very bad decisions. He was a man with a van, yet he decided to pass up jobs that were actually going to pay him because flying G-ERTI for MJN made him the happiest he'd ever been. Thankfully, Icarus Removals was doing well at the moment and he'd managed to save up quite a bit. He knew there'd be days when he'd be back to scraping by and wondering if staying at MJN was the right choice, but for now everything was fine.

He had trouble admitting to himself that he chose to stay at MJN because he got to spend a lot of time with Douglas, but it was the truth whether he liked it or not. While he did enjoy hanging out with Carolyn and Arthur, it was those moments when it was just he and Douglas in the flight deck, talking about everything and nothing that had really made his mind up.

It wasn't even the quiet moments. It was the games and the way Douglas always won. It was helping him name all seven dwarfs during the flight to Gdansk so he could beat Carolyn. It was the way Douglas always knew how to fix things and get them out of trouble. It was the way his hands danced across the control panel's switches and knobs. The smirk that graced his face practically all the time. The salt and pepper hair that in need of a trim. The way he made fun of Martin's hat and written procedures, or the times he'd lent Martin a hand. He wouldn't change a single thing about the man.

Well, that wasn't quite true now, was it?

#

Douglas awoke to the pressure of a full bladder and Arthur yelping like a puppy in his sleep. This was exactly why he tried to room alone despite Scrooge McDuck Air's ridiculously tight budget. As he passed by Martin's bed on the way to the loo, he noticed the young man was still awake. "Arthur keeping you up, too?"

"He makes noise in his sleep all the time. I'm used to it. I can't sleep for... other... reasons."

Douglas wondered what the 'other' reasons could possibly be. "What is he doing?"

"I'm not sure. It sounds like he's barking, doesn't it?" Martin stretched.

"It does. I sure hope I can fall back asleep." Douglas padded into the bathroom.

Martin rolled on his side so that he was facing away from Douglas' bed and pretended to be sleeping when Douglas crawled back into his bed. He listened to Douglas sigh and pound his pillow. They lay quietly for a few moments, enjoying the fact that Arthur had finally stopped yelping. When Martin thought he might actually be able to fall asleep, he heard Douglas say, "Martin, put some clothes on and let's go outside. I don't want to wake Arthur up."

Martin was confused by the command, but he wasn't going to say no. He pulled on his sweatshirt, hyper aware that Douglas' eyes were following the hem as it slid down his torso. He blushed, unused to being on the receiving end of such a look.

Douglas was surprised to see that his Captain had a tattoo near his heart. He had never noticed it before, not that he'd ever had a chance to see Martin shirtless, but he wanted to know what it was. He just wasn't sure how to ask Martin to take his shirt off. Martin was so self conscious that he always wore a threadbare t-shirt with his pyjama bottoms. It didn't matter how warm the room was, he never slept without a t-shirt. Douglas wondered where it was for a split second and then realised he didn't care.

Douglas shook his head. When the hell did he start referring to Martin as 'his' Captain as opposed to 'the' Captain? Obviously, he wasn't thinking clearly. The divorce must be affecting him more than he thought it was.

They weren't that far from the airport and Martin could see the runway lights from the parking lot. He loved staying in hotels near airports. Often, when he couldn't sleep, he'd go outside and watch the planes. He had a feeling Douglas had more on his mind than simply watching aeroplanes. "Are you OK?" Martin sat down on the grass.

Douglas joined him. "No, Martin, I'm not. The good news, for you, is that I will be requiring the services of a man with a van." He faked a smile.

"You woke me up to tell me that?" Martin sighed. "You know you'd be better off hiring someone whose van won't break down halfway to your new flat, right?"

"Alpha, you were already awake." He noticed Martin's small smile at his use of the phonetic version. "And, Bravo, you're my friend. I'd rather hire you than a stranger." Douglas could barely force the words out. Giving voice to it made it real and he still wasn't ready for that.

"Well, thank you, Douglas." Martin could feel the blush heating up his cheeks again. "Why are we out here?"

"Remember earlier when I asked you if you ever wonder what it would it be like if you didn't spend your life in the pointy end of a plane?"

"Yes. You wanted to know if Helena would still be around." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt bad. "Did she say she was leaving because you were never home?"

"Not in so many words." In the distance, an aeroplane's engines fired up. Douglas checked his watch. "Half four in the morning, and they're already leaving the airport. I guess it's good for us that Carolyn likes her beauty sleep."

"Do you ever wonder, though, what your life would be like if you weren't a pilot? You had gone to medical school. What if you had become a doctor?"

"No. That wouldn't have happened. Like you, I never wanted to be anywhere else but the flight deck of an aeroplane. As I've gotten older, it's lost some of it's appeal. Three ex-wives and no time to spend with your daughter will do that to you," he spat.

"Working as a man in a van just so I can eat and pay rent for a flat I'm ever at lost it's appeal a long time ago."

"Then why do you stay at MJN?"

"I get to be the Supreme Commander of an aeroplane," he joked.

Instead of making a snarky comment about Martin's choice of job title, Douglas laughed. Martin joined in, allowing himself a brief moment of wondering if it would be like this if he and Douglas were in a relationship. He quickly thought of something else.

The two men sat together, waiting for the plane to take off. Martin had memorised the layout of the airport prior to this flight and he knew it probably as well as the pilots based there. This particular aeroplane was going to fly right over them. He couldn't wait to see it.

As the plane began its ascent, Douglas looked up. "Do you remember when Arthur wanted to learn how a plane flies?"

"We were going to Abu Dhabi. That was the trip where I almost killed that cat." Martin's shoulders sagged. "Just another great example of my terrible luck. The one trip I needed to heat the hold..."

Douglas wrapped his arm around Martin's shoulder and the young man fell against him. "The important thing is that you didn't kill the cat."

"Well, I would have if you hadn't pulled your Air England nonsense."

Douglas pointed at the quickly approaching aircraft with his free arm, easily changing the subject. "What kind of plane do you think it is?" He had to admit, he liked the feel of Martin's body pressed up against him.

"Boeing. 747. Arthur would freak out if he knew that a wing, one wing, on a 747 weighs over forty-three thousand kilograms." He paused converting the numbers in his head. "That's ninety-five thousand pounds as they would say here in the US."

Douglas wasn't surprised that Martin knew that, nor that he could covert the weight to the US system of measurement so quickly. In fact, he was impressed by it and made sure that Martin knew.

Martin thanked him quietly. Douglas' compliments meant the world to him, even if Douglas would later pretend he didn't say anything. "I'm sorry, again, about Helena. I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'm here if you need to."

"Thank you, Martin." Martin knew he wasn't imagining the fondness in Douglas' voice nor the chills that ran down his spine when the older man looked him in the eye when he said it.

#

The two men quietly let themselves back into the room they shared with Arthur. If he had woken up while they were gone, there was no sign. Unfortunately, he was still making noise. "Alpha, like alpha dog, like Mum. But not like Mum, like Arthur! That's me! [mumbles] Skip thinks I'm brilliant. [mumbles]"

Martin bit back a laugh at the look on Douglas' face. He'd forgotten that Douglas never roomed with Arthur. Martin didn't mind rooming with Arthur even if he could live without the running commentary.

"Watch this, Douglas," Martin whispered. "K, Arthur."

"K is for kilo! Thanks, Skip! [mumbles] No. I like cupcakes. [mumbles] SQUIRREL!"

Douglas moved closer to Martin. "His dreams are terrifying."

Martin laughed quietly as they crawled back into their beds. A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth as he finally fell asleep to the sounds of Arthur's babbling.

Douglas' head was spinning. He'd gone from being terribly depressed to thinking about Martin. He didn't think that his Captain was the type of person who would spend the money on something like a tattoo. What else did he not know about the young man? He wasn't surprised that he wanted to know more about Martin. Recently, there had been something about him that had caught his attention and kept it. It was a huge part of why he had wanted to ask Martin to be his flatmate. The tattoo was just the newest thing to think about.

He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep, so he settled for watching Martin. It was hot in the room, but Martin was burrowed under the covers so far that the only part of his face that was visible was from his nose up. Douglas had never seen his Captain look so young, vulnerable, and dare he say, adorable. As he began to dream, Douglas watched as his forehead creased and his eyelids fluttered. Deep in his dream, Martin flung his arm out and almost hit Douglas. "Douglas?" he whispered. "Douglas, I don't know what to do."

This was the first time Douglas had heard Martin talk in his sleep, and he wondered if Arthur was contagious. The beds were so close that Douglas could grasp his hand. He wasn't sure what Martin was dreaming about, but as he intertwined his fingers with his Captain's, he whispered, "I'm right here, Martin. I'll talk you through it."

Martin tightened his grip on Douglas's hand. "Thank you." Douglas was amazed at how something as simple as holding Martin's hand could comfort both of them. He closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly, dreaming of the young man who lay next to him.


	5. Chapter 5

The last place Douglas wanted to be on a day off from flying was in the middle of an air museum, surrounded by aeroplanes. Martin had brought it up at breakfast, Arthur thought it was a brilliant idea, and Douglas had no choice but to tag along. As he and Martin looked at a B-57A tactical bomber from the Korean War era, he had to admit it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. His Captain's pace was glacial, and they had lost Arthur within minutes of entering, but Douglas was enjoying every minute of it. He was positive he'd never look at aeroplanes, even tired old G-ERTI, the same way.

Douglas wasn't surprised that Martin seemed to know a lot about every plane they passed. At each stop, he'd tell Douglas about the plane in more detail than the placard could ever hope to contain. Douglas had to wonder if this urge to know everything about every aeroplane was related to the fact that Martin had wanted to be an aeroplane when he grew up. He could picture a five year old Martin, auburn curls unruly and fanning out behind his head, running around his yard pretending to be this B-57A bomber.

He'd been doing well at keeping the blues away for the majority of the morning, but thinking about Martin as a child reminded him of his daughter, which then led him back to Helena and the divorce. He stiffened and sighed as the melancholy rolled over him like a bulldozer.

Martin could feel the shift in the atmosphere. He stopped mid-word and whipped around to face Douglas. "Douglas?"

"I'd been having a pretty easy time at forgetting about everything today. The museum, you, and even Arthur, have been wonderful distractions but it doesn't change the fact that I still miss Helena. I still need to find a new flat. I still have a daughter that doesn't want anything to do with me. It just hit me all at once."

"Oh." Martin shifted from foot to foot before deciding to speak to the floor. "I'd like to give you a hug. You look like you could use one. Would that be OK?" The words came out so fast, Douglas could barely understand them.

As much as he wanted to decline, he didn't want to hurt Martin's feelings especially because it was obvious that Martin thought it would make him feel better. "Actually, Sir, I think I would like that very much."

Martin froze. He hadn't really expected Douglas to accept his offer and now he didn't know what to do. Douglas recognised the panicked look on Martin's face, realised that his Captain wasn't going to do anything, and decided to solve the problem by embracing Martin. It took Martin a few seconds for it to register that he was wrapped in Douglas' arms, but then he relaxed into it. He refused to let himself think about how well his body fit with Douglas' or how Douglas had buried his nose in his hair.

They may have hugged a little too long, but Douglas didn't care. Martin's body pressed against his wiped all thoughts of Helena, his daughter, and the divorce out of his head. While definitely not the healthiest distraction, it was certainly better than listening to Arthur rattle on about how brilliant Skip was, how brilliant the phonetic alphabet was, how brilliant the breakfast buffet was, and most recently, how brilliant the old aeroplanes were.

"Hey, chaps!" Arthur came around the corner, scaring both men. They had already broken the hug, but were standing closer to each other than was probably necessary. Thankfully, Arthur hadn't appeared to notice. "Have you seen some of these aeroplanes? They are..."

"Brilliant. We know, Arthur." Douglas smiled at Martin. "Did you know that young Martin here is an expert on every single one of these aeroplanes on display?"

"No way, Skip! That's incredible!"

Martin started to blush. "I wouldn't say I'm an expert on ALL of them. We haven't even made it all the way through yet. What if they have something I've never seen before?"

"Shall we make a friendly wager? Sir?"

Arthur jumped up and down. "Come on, Skip! You can't possibly lose this one!"

"I don't know. What did you want to bet?"

"I'll bet you my pudding on the flight home that you do indeed know everything about every aeroplane they have here."

"And if I lose?"

"I get first crack at the cheese tray."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"You won passenger derby, Skip! Maybe your luck is changing. Besides, it's chocolate cake and it's really good! It's better than the cheesecake or strudel."

Martin thought about it for a minute. They always had cheese, but Carolyn rarely had cake on board, and chocolate was his favourite. Plus, he did know a lot about most aeroplanes. He might be able to win after all. "No. I'm OK with the cake."

Douglas smiled. He knew they had chocolate cake on board, he knew it was Martin's favourite, and he knew Martin would take the deal. He extended his hand and they shook on it, Martin hanging on for as long as he could without Douglas noticing and completely unaware that the other man was doing the same.


	6. Chapter 6

Martin sat in the grass near the hotel and watched the last few arrivals and departures from the nearby airport. He'd barely been able to sleep at all this trip. His thoughts were an endless loop of stolen moments with Douglas over the past few days. His crush on his First Officer was getting out of control. Douglas' divorce was probably the worse thing that could happen to Martin for several reasons, the least of which was that Douglas was now single and available to date. If he were interested in Martin. Which he decidedly was not.

It was so bad that, last night, he had dreamed about he and Douglas out on a date. He had been nervous and told Douglas that he didn't know what to do. In typical Douglas fashion, he had grabbed Martin's hand and told him he'd walk him through it. It was such a lifelike dream, he had awoken with a smile on his face.

He sighed and lay back, clasping his hands behind his head. He wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't like he could tell Douglas he had a crush on him. The older man would never let him live it down for as long as they worked for MJN. He was already the butt of Douglas' jokes. He didn't need to make it worse for himself.

"Is this seat taken?" Douglas appeared out of nowhere.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Douglas eased himself down next to Martin. "I could ask you the same thing. To answer your second question, I cannot sleep because Arthur has been talking to a rabbit about ice cream for the past hour and explaining to it why knitting is brilliant."

Martin shook his head. "You could have turned on your light and read your book. When he's that talkative, nothing wakes him up."

"Good to know." Douglas paused. "To answer your first question, I am out here because I knew you would be. I figured if it relaxed you to watch aeroplanes, it might be something I should try."

"Oh." Martin lay back down, trying to hide his happiness over Douglas joining him. He knew Douglas thought it was ridiculous that someone who spent so much time at airports and on aeroplanes would be so obsessed with flying to the point where it was his entire life, but that's just how he was. Thankfully, Douglas wasn't using the opportunity to make fun of him.

They watched the planes come and go. Douglas couldn't believe how busy the airport was this late at night, but he was happy it gave him an excuse to spend some time with his Captain. Following Martin's lead, he lay down. Martin shifted a little bit so that his lower body was pushing up against Douglas'. The spots where their bodies made contact burned white hot and Martin was pleasantly surprised that Douglas hadn't pulled away.

Between the relative silence, the stars in the sky, and the white noise of the aeroplanes, Douglas felt at peace for the first time in a long time. He could see why Martin watched the planes when he couldn't sleep. He let his thoughts wander, taking advantage of the calm and enjoying the feel of the warm body pressed against his. Not surprisingly, his thoughts kept returning to his Captain. Instead of fighting it, he accepted it. There were worse things to think about.

Douglas had lost track of how long they'd been outside when Martin suddenly rolled over and wrapped his arm around Douglas' waist. Douglas shifted so that Martin could rest his head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around Martin, pulling him in tight. The young man murmured something and snuggled in even tighter. Douglas pressed a kiss to the top of his head and softly nuzzled those auburn curls. He knew Martin hadn't meant to fall asleep and that he wouldn't have if Douglas wasn't outside with him. It touched him that his Captain felt that safe with him. He knew that Martin trusted him with his life in G-ERTI, but it felt different to experience that same trust outside of the flight deck. He sighed, knowing this moment, this perfect moment, would be short lived. He kissed Martin's head again, and waited for him to wake up.

After a bit, Douglas started getting tired and he decided it was probably best if they went back to their room. He gently woke Martin up. He sat up, instantly alert. "Did I fall asleep?"

"You must be very tired." (You've been running through my head all day, Douglas' brain supplied.) "You did say you hadn't been sleeping well."

Martin rubbed at his cheek, feeling the crease from where Douglas' shirt had bunched up under his face while he slept. "OH. Douglas, I'm so..." Realisation crossed his face and he turned so red, Douglas thought something was going to burst.

"Martin, shut up." Martin's mouth snapped shut. "Don't worry about it. You got some sleep. That's the important thing."

"But..."

"But, nothing. You fell asleep. I decided to let you sleep. Nothing more. Nothing less." Douglas was getting angry, but tried to stay calm. Of course Martin would have to kill the mood with his insecurities and fear. "I really didn't mind, Martin. If I had, we'd be back in the room already."

"Thank you." Martin said to the grass. He was afraid to meet Douglas' eyes. What if Douglas had figured it out? Would he ever be able to look his First Officer in the eye again?

"It was my pleasure. Sir." He stood up and dusted himself off. Martin sat there for a minute longer, looking up at Douglas with the oddest look on his face. Finally, Douglas extended his hand to his Captain and helped him up. Outside the door, he stopped and grabbed Martin by the wrist. "I'm not ready to talk about Helena, but I appreciate your offer. I may take you up on it someday, but it won't be soon." He smiled at the young man, and realised that if this were a date, they were in the perfect position for a good night kiss. He blinked and swallowed hard. "I... um... I..."

"Douglas, the Sky God, Richardson is at a loss for words?" Martin laughed, but didn't try to free himself from Douglas' grip.

"Martin," he started. He struggled for the right words to say, but he ended up settling for the simple ones. "I'm glad we've become friends. In fact, you're probably one of my best friends, and I don't say that lightly."

The smile that took over Martin's face was amazing. Douglas had never seen anything like it on his Captain's face before. He had to figure out how to make it happen again.

#

Arthur had woken up before the two men and as he made his way to the shower, he noticed that the two men were holding hands in their sleep. He had no way of knowing it was the second time the men had slept like that, and he had no knowledge of what had happened during their trip outside earlier, but either way, he thought it was brilliant.

He hummed something off-key and unrecognisable, a lopsided smile on his face, as he watched them sleep for a moment. There was something going on between the two men. He wasn't sure exactly what, but there was definitely something. It had been there since they met for the first time, but neither one had acknowledged it.

He wondered if they ever would.


End file.
